Category: Retro Furniture

Children, Christmas, Exercise, Families, Family Life, Fitness, Food, Healthy Eating, Holidays, Large Families, London, Memories, Outdoor Play, Parents, Retro Furniture, School, Siblings

Our January…

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Our January…

Last year I started a series called “Celebrating The Small Things” were every week I would do a round up of all the little things I had to be thankful for such as one of the children learning to tie there shoes or the excitement of seeing the first flowers of spring.

Being the unorganised and scatty person that I am, committing to getting this done every week all got to much but I still wanted to keep something going this year so I’ve switched things up about with a round up style post of our month and I hope you like what you see.

We kicked the year off in a pretty amazing way with a visit to Center Parcs. This is by far one of our favourite places to get away too but the price isn’t always to attractive. We managed to get a great deal and had a few days to relax, try out some new activities, swim to our hearts content and eat our body weight in pancakes.

After a pretty hectic Christmas and a trip away we decided the rest of the holiday should be dedicated to relaxing, recouping and enjoying our new home. I am always on the look out for the next thing to do and after a discussion with the kids we decided this year would be the year to take things at a slower pace and enjoy things like movies nights and playing board games instead of always being out chasing a new adventure.

I’m truth if was Frankie that really made me feel terrible about the amount of time we spend out as he informed me he never gets a chance to just go to the park and ride his bike as I’ve always planned something. I know you mum guilt hits you all the time but I really felt terrible at the fact I must have been putting so much pressure on them.

It was Frankie’s birthday at the beginning of the month and we celebrated him turning seven with a his first day back a school which didn’t go down to well and a steak dinner. Next year it’s my mission to not let the December and January birthdays go so unnoticed.

I jumped on the keep fit bandwagon with the majority of people and got myself back into David Lloyd more regularly again. The weight had certainly piled on again over Christmas and I was eager to hit those goals again this year.

After a bit of a nightmare with going backwards and forwards to hospital and orthodontist visits, both Izzy and Archie are finally on their way to getting perfect teeth after having their braces fitted.

I’m sure most of you feel the same and get pretty bored of the same old meals everyday. I was as bored of cooking them as the kids were of eating them so I dusted off the cookbooks and tried some things I’ve never had before. All I can say is move over Wagamama as I can now cook a pretty mean katsu curry!

I’ve been adding a few pieces to the house to put our own stamp on it, but with things being a little tight I have been trying to my good friends EBay and the bargain corner at IKEA and found some great pieces. It always makes me feel happier to know I’ve got a bargain.

We rounded the month off with our first event of the year and it was a good one to say the least. We headed to Islington for the release of How To Train Your Dragon. Not only was it an amazing movie they you all need to see but the interactive event was amazing and the boys literally felt like they had been transporting the Isle Of Berk.

Children, Families, Family Life, Holidays, Kent, Retro Furniture, Reviews, Reviews, Summer

The Perfect Break At The Old Barrel Store Margate

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on The Perfect Break At The Old Barrel Store Margate

We discovered the delightful town of Margate last year and immediately fell in love with the up and coming, quirky seaside resort.

When I was offered the opportunity to have an overnight stay at the Old Barrel Store in the heart of Margate town I was over the moon.

We had a short and easy drive into Margate with just the youngest two and easily found the property nestled just off one of the quaint streets that house some wonderful shops selling anything from vintage homeware and clothes to yummy retro sweets.

The boys ran to the front door of the grade ll listed flint cottage to be the first in to investigate.

We were lead straight into the kitchen that had everything you could possibly need including a cupboard stocked with all the essentials you need to prepare meals that you wouldn’t necessary want to drag along with you which ead a lovely touch.

The kitchen also housed a visitors book full to the brim with positive comments and lots of great tips and piles of leaflets to help you get the most out of your stay.

We headed from here into the living area that was a real step back in time.  The furniture and accessories had all been perfectly sourced to create a wonderful vintage feel which is a huge love of mine.

Although the decor is immaculate it still felt homely and with the addition of plenty of toys that could be used indoors or taken down to the beach with you I was at complete ease having the two little wirlwinds with me!



The living room leads straight out into a pretty little garden that is perfect for the children to play in, cook a yummy BBQ or simply relax and have a drink while soaking up the sun.

With bucket and spade in hand he boys were itching to get down to the sea which is literally a few minutes walk away.

They ran up and down the beautiful stretch of sandy beach and were even brave enough to take a paddle in the sea that was still extremely chilly!

It wouldn’t be a trip to the seaside without some seafood which we grabbed from Manning seafood stall which is situated right by the Turner Contempary.

We then made our way to Dreamland amusement park that the boys were itching to get to. We had a good few hours there trying out everything it had to offer and we were all extremely impressed.

We had worked up a good appetite so headed down to GB Pizza where we sampled the best pizzas I have even tastes and I challenge you to say anything different!

With two extremely tired boys in tow we headed back to the cottage for bath and bedtime.

The bathroom again was immaculately decorated and had a wonderfully calming atmosphere perfect to start a relaxing evening.  The children were thought of again in here with a slip mat provided to prevent any accidents with slippery little ones!

All cleaned and ready for bed we headed to the children’s room which had the vintage theme carried through.

There were pretty vintage decorations, plenty of books for bedtime stories and crisp white, cosy bed linen that the boys fell asleep in within minutes.

With the children fast asleep for the first time in months we savoured the moment by having a cheeky glass of wine while enjoying our beautiful, peaceful surroundings.

It wasn’t long before we made our way to our cosy room that had a good sized bed, ample storage space in the wardrobe and the all important hairdryer that I’ve often found missing in many self catering properties.

We woke up after a good nights sleep and the only night number five has ever slept through and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading out to do some more exploring.

We bumped into some very friendly neighbours as we made our way to the shell grotto that I had wanted to visit on our past trips but had not yet got round to.

It was only a short walk from the cottage and was strangely situated in the middle of a residential street that I was not expecting.

Once inside it was a magnificent sight and well worth a trip.

The boys were itching to get back to the seafront and I was desperate for an ice cream.

We stopped at Melt ice cream parlour in the Sands Hotel that served the most delicious ice cream in a beautiful setting.

Sadly it was now time to make our way back to pack up the car and say goodbye to the Old Barrel Store.

We had a perfect stay in a wonderful cottage that was steepted in history and loving resorted to create the most wonderful holiday getaway.  The passion for their cottage really shine through and nothing had been overlooked, everything you could ask for was there for you to make your stay as easy as enjoyable as possible.

The Old Barrel Store would make a fabulous weekend getaway as a couple as much as a family holiday with all the family.

If you are looking for a seaside getaway with a difference then look no further than this fabulous cottage.
*we were given an overnight stay for the purpose of this review and they are all my own honest opinions.

Carboot, Kids Days Out, London, Mothers Day, Parks, Presents, Retro Furniture, Shopping, Southbank, Street entertainers, The Vintage Festival, Vintage Children's Rooms

Vintage Carboot And A Stroll Along Southbank For Mother’sDay

by thejoyoffive2 Comments on Vintage Carboot And A Stroll Along Southbank For Mother’sDay



Cuddles in bed, homemade cards and the love of my beautiful children is all I need on Mother’s Day.  I won’t get drawn into the hype of overpriced set menus at resturants and tacky gifts that cost a bomb.  The simple things in life is what makes being a Mum special, and Mothering Sunday to me is just a reminder of how truly blessed I am to have five beautiful, happy and well children.

This said I had seen a advert a while ago for a vintage carboot sale at Southbank that happened to fall on Mother’s Day.  I have a real passion for all things vintage and find Southbank is always a hub of entertainment that the kids love.

After my breakfast in bed and snuggles I had to begrudgingly leave number one at home feeling poorly and set off to meet my Mum, Dad and Sister at the train station.  Getting a train is a rarity for us so the kids are always super exited.





Once we had taken a short walk from the station we were greeted at the quirky ticket stall that was homed inside an old fashioned ice cream van.  Once inside there was a fabulous waft of cooking coming from the many funky food stalls serving a variety of splendid foods such as hot waffles, kedgeree, bacon sandwiches and much more.





The stalls and the holders really took you back to a by gone era with collections of clothing, household items and music to name but a few. The children were all intrigued by the well kept old cars and the numerous people dressed in outfits from times gone by.





After a fantastic trip back in time at the carboot we made our way over to the river and walked along taking in the atmosphere of the street entertainers and people watching.  Number three wanted to stop and watch the skateboards at the skatepark while the others stood watching the boats going up and down the river.







We ended our special day playing the steel drums with a super friendly street entertainer and a run around the great play ground, that finished of with my action man Dad falling from the climbing frame, much to our amusement!!





It is special days like this that will remain forever in my heart and make me thankful for all that I have.





Caterham, Craft Fairs, Crafts, Imagination Play, Kids Days Out, Parks, Picnics, Reigate, Retro Furniture, Toys, Vintage Children's Rooms

Spring Has Sprung – Craft Fairs And Sand Ice-creams

by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment on Spring Has Sprung – Craft Fairs And Sand Ice-creams



I’ve been following The Milk List on Facebook for a while now, they  sell beautiful vintage furniture and toys for children’s bedrooms and  I noticed this week that she was holding a stall at a craft fair in Caterham so I decided to take a trip down there before our usual Saturday routine.





I was not disappointed when I arrived.  I was greeted with a smile at the beautifully presented stall which had many fabulous items.  We chose two wooden cars and a retro Bambi that are going to look great in number four’s room.  We would have browsed for longer but he had taken a liking to a set of pool balls that I was concerned were going to be launched through the opposite stall!  There is an online store in the pipeline so I will be keeping my eye out for that.





With such beautiful weather today I was looking forward to our Saturday trip to the park.  We had a picnic packed which the boys were very excited to be able to eat on the grass for the first time this year.  Once we had eaten and taken in the sun for a while we headed to the sandpit with our new sand toys which I’d managed to buy in between the screaming and crying on our IKEA trip yesterday.  I have to admit they’d been thrown in the bag yesterday with all the stress and I had not paid much attention to them.  Once opened I realised they were actually a little set of ice-cream cones and pots that can be filled with sand.  It was a great purchase as number four is normally happier to launch sand over me and any unsuspecting passerby but these keep his attention for a good hour.









This superb weather has got us all excited for the predicted scorcher of a Spring and Summer.  What plans have you all got in the pipeline?